U.S. Inspection Station-Fort Fairfield, Maine · Photo: wbaron · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Fort Fairfield than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Fairfield gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #10 of 143 in Maine. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then hurricanes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 111 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Fort Fairfield’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Fort Fairfield faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Fort Fairfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Fairfield, and Fort Fairfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
A #10 of 143 in Maine; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fort Fairfield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Maine town has lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. towns; within the state, Fort Fairfield has less expected damage per building than 94% of Maine towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Fort Fairfield: $823K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fort Fairfield flood? Yes: 111 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Fairfield, from FEMA’s records: 59.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fort Fairfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aroostook County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fort Fairfield
Disasters that paid out in Fort Fairfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Fort Fairfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2005Snow$25K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow Melt, and Ice Jams$45K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2005Snow$27K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$19K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
Show all 11
- 2003Snow$21K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2003Snow$16K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2003Snow$22K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2001Snow$7K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams$90K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
Aroostook County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Fort Fairfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fort Fairfield archive →Fort Fairfield and its neighbors
Fort Fairfield is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Fort Fairfield | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 111 |
| Presque Isle | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Caribou | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Limestone | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Fort Fairfield faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Fort Fairfield
Is Fort Fairfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Fairfield has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #10 of 143 in Maine. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and hurricanes (12%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fort Fairfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 111 claims in Fort Fairfield since 1979, $1.5M in all, or 59.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Fort Fairfield in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Aroostook County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fort Fairfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Fairfield’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Fort Fairfield?
By FEMA money that reached Fort Fairfield, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ice Jams (2000): $90K to the Town of Fort Fairfield for repairs.
Is Fort Fairfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Fort Fairfield’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Fairfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Fairfield’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.